38 Special with 158 grain SWC Loads for DR

First topic message reminder :

Per topic's title, I'm soliciting suggestion on loads for DR and recommendations for projectiles.
I intend to use coated bullets, but open for suggestions.  Nowadays there are couple of options per my research:

1. regular grooved semi-wadcutter with beveled base.  Example - bullets by Brazos Precision, - https://www.brazosprecision.com/38-158gr-SWCBevel-BaseGroove-664ct-00632bullet_p_14.html

2. grooveless with beveled base. Example - ACME Bullets, - http://www.acmebullet.com/38-158-SWC-NLG

3. grooveless with plain base (or as it looks on pictures, I'm yet to confirm this).  Example - Missouri Bullets - https://missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=415&category=20&secondary=9

4. regular grooved with plain base.  I have not found manufacturer for such yet, however looks as SAECO #382 mold allows for casting exactly that - https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/72937

As with all individually cast projectiles, alloy varies.  So what is allowed deviation from the 158 grain weight? Any opinions on what is more accurate beveled base versus plain base for 38 Special.

Thank you,
AP

For me the only bullet that comes anywhere close to factory at the LL is the magtech RN from Grafs.. lots of stuff works well enough at the SL

orpheoet wrote:Getting anything to shoot well at 50 yards in .38 Special 158gr is a waste of time in my opinion. At least for me(and I wasted a lot of time trying…). As I posted earlier 158gr RN Federal is tough to beat at 50 yards. At 25 yards its not hard to come up with a load that will clean a target. I use Zero SWC just because they're easier to score. Zero and Brazos are both excellent choices.

Agreed, and I'll tip my hat to Jon who gave me some clear guidance that this was a waste of time.  I spent a lot of time and effort working up a load that approached, but didn't beat factory Federal.  That said, I've got great practice ammunition that is very nearly the match, at just a little under 2" that I can load on the cheap for practice and reserve the factory ammunition, which is a PITA to purchase in California for matches. 



I along with Mike and Greg spent a lot of time with the Ransom Rest.  I tried several revolvers of various manufacturers and couldn't find any that shot a LSWC better than LRN, but I've heard the reverse, so I'll constrain this to my experience only vice a statement of fact.  From talking to Jerry (before he passed) that was probably due to the way the older S&W and Colt wheel guns were set up.  I don't have the technical knowledge or experience to say if that holds true with modern wheel guns.  Test target below isn't really fair, but this is from a Ransom Rest using all 6 cylinders.  I thought the best stuff would be the Federal Law Enforcement (LE) white box, but it didn’t test as well which was surprising.  Diagonal distance would be about 3.06".  Good enough to hold the 10 ring with all 6.  What I couldn't find for sale, but wanted to test was the Federal LE 158 gr LRN, which is supposed to be markedly better than the American Eagle offering that already holds the X-Ring in my wheel gun using the preferred cylinder.



For the reloading process, I weighed all bullets and sorted by 1/10 of a grain, loaded each round on a single stage and hand weighed each charge and verified on two scales.  I used the NOE expander for each case and made sure the bullets were not swaged when seating.  I also measured OAL and crimp on every round along with measuring each case before loading to ensure they were all equivalent length.  I also shot 5 rounds from each cylinder prior to testing to find the "best" followed by 10 shots from the top 2 cylinders.  I had 2 that were about the same, 3 just slightly worse, and 1 that lagged the other 5.  Marked the best cylinder and only used that for my testing.

I've tried every match LSWC and LRN prior to Brazos and the best combination (I found) has been:

(Please note I haven't tried Brazos Bullets)

Bullets (in order from best to worst of the top 3)


158 gr Zero LRN (swaged)
158 gr Magtech LRN
158 gr Hornady LRN (swaged)

Powder (in order from best to worst)
Note: I plan on testing VV as well.  Federal American Eagle is about 760 fps and that seems to be ideal (for my twist) at 50 yards with the Bullseye and WST loads mirroring that.

Bullseye 3.4 gr
WST 3.5 gr

Primers

Federal Gold Medal Match

OAL: 1.530
Note: I tried various lengths and finally settled on factory as the most consistent at 50 yards.  This is really a function of the groove, but different bullets and their construction may give more or less flexibility, like the Hornady mold that has a honeycomb texture.

Crimp

This has been interesting, depending on the combination of powder and bullet the crimp can fluctuate in what works best.  I've seen .372 - .376 shoot well at 50 yards. Since I'm single loading at 50 I am not concerned about set back.  At 25 yards, factory crimp will hold the X-ring so not a factor/worry.  I believe that lighter loads require more crimp to achieve the right pressure to propel the bullet 


Below are photos of the Zero, Magtech and Hornady 158 gr LRN that topped my testing and the different strategies in bullet design.

My DR load is Zero 158 LSWC, 3.2 WST1 (452AA), CCI#500 in CBC case at 1.450" OAL finished with moderate roll crimp in Redding profile die.